1. Field of the Invention
The object of the invention relates to a pipette system including a syringe having a syringe flange adapted to be received in an accommodation provided in the pipette body, an accommodation body displaceable within the pipette body and having a plunger accommodation for receiving the syringe plunger, and sensing means for detecting information provided on a data carrier associated with the syringe.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Pipette systems of the type referred to at the beginning often are defined as repeating or multipipette systems which allow the gradual delivery of a liquid from a syringe. Such a repeating system is known from the DE-C2 29 26 691 which especially is directed to the repeating mechanism of the repeating pipette. It also describes how to secure a syringe of the system to said repeating pipette. For this purpose, the syringe is provided with a syringe flange adapted to be inserted from the side into a substantially U-shaped groove being open at the side. An axial pressure spring secures the inserted syringe flange to the nut. For the connection of the syringe plunger to a plunger adjusting means an insertion element is provided which receives an end section of the syringe plunger between two jaws. The jaws can be pressed against said syringe plunger by means of a flap-like clamping element, the actuating lever of which projects from the body through an opening.
According to this system, the syringe flange besides may comprise a profiling upon which a spring-actuated lever of the repeating pipette is acting. The lever is connected to the plunger adjusting means and adjusts the dosing volume. Thereat the syringe flange is profiled so that in dependence on its rotary position in its body accommodation different dosage volumes are adjusted. This enables the user to adjust the dosage quantity of the syringe by its rotation in the syringe accommodation. For the same repeating pipette, however, syringes with different absorption capacities are provided. They differ from each other by different cross sections of absorption, with the total length being the same. Identical profilings of the syringe flange of different syringes, therefore, do not allow the dosage quantities to be adjusted coincidently. On the contrary, the use of syringes of different capacities makes a conversion necessary.
As a result of the limited available space the different syringes namely cannot be profiled individually. Moreover, the profiling also allows the adjustment of discrete dosage quantities only. Any intermediate values or values beyond the range of adjustment determined by the profiling cannot be achieved.
Taking all these facts into consideration, it is the object of the invention to provide a pipette system which allows an identification of an inserted syringe or the condition of the same. Especially, the system should allow a simple adjustment of the dosage quantity without making any conversion necessary.